KBRN, Jakarta: Indonesia and Pakistan continue to strengthen their diplomatic relations in various fields, celebrating their 75th anniversary this year. These include trade and defense.
This was conveyed by the Chargé d'Affaires of the Pakistani Embassy in Jakarta, Roshan Lal, during the celebration of 75 years of diplomatic ties between Indonesia and Pakistan in Jakarta on Monday evening, April 28, 2025.
"Throughout the years, this bond has grown stronger through partnership in trade, education, defense, culture, and people-to-people relations. We sincerely value the ongoing support from Indonesia and remain committed to fostering our historical friendship for a collective future," said Lal as quoted by rri.co.id.
Lal explained that partnership in trade and defense has demonstrated a positive trend, with the bilateral trade volume between the two countries reaching 4 billion USD by 2024.
Pakistan and Indonesia also work closely together in defense. In recent years, multiple Pakistani Navy vessels have visited Indonesian ports for military training," he mentioned.
"Recently, senior officers from the navies of both Pakistan and Indonesia took part in the exercise AMAN in Karachi and the Multinational Exercise Komodo in Bali. This exemplifies the cordial relations between the Armed Forces of both nations."
The AMAN exercise is a multinational naval drill organized by the Pakistan Navy. Held every two years, it aims to enhance naval cooperation and communication regionally and internationally, boost maritime security, foster peace, and develop relationships among participating navies.
Lal also emphasized the active involvement of Indonesia and Pakistan in numerous multilateral forums, including the UN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), D-8, and ASEAN. Lal expresses hope that Pakistan's role in ASEAN as a sectoral dialogue partner can be further strengthened in the future.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation D-8 is an economic cooperation entity composed of these countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.
We eagerly anticipate the President of Indonesia's visit to Pakistan. This visit will undoubtedly enhance our bilateral relations and create new opportunities for collaboration across various sectors," Lal noted.
For Indonesia, diplomatic relations with Pakistan are viewed positively, notably after both nations agreed to the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) in 2012. This agreement has positively influenced the increase in trade volume from 1.6 billion USD in 2012 to 4 billion USD in 2024.
"There is significant potential to expand further the value of our trade and cooperation in various strategic sectors. These include architecture, Islamic finance, digital innovation, and sustainable trade," remarked Indonesian Minister of Trade Budi Santoso during the same event.
"To this end, the two nations have consented to broaden the scope of our partnership by upgrading the existing PTA to a Trade in Goods Agreement, which is currently under negotiation," stated the Minister of Trade.
The commemoration of 75 years of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Pakistan in Jakarta was also highlighted by Pakistani art and cultural performances and attended by ambassadors from other countries. ***